


Biopic

by greywash



Series: Spring Break Creative Calisthenics [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Family, Gen, M/M, Spring Break Creative Calisthenics, dysfunctional family relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 19:38:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6342331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywash/pseuds/greywash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So,” Tony asks, exactly once, “You and Howard?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Biopic

**Author's Note:**

> Over spring break, [I am asking for some prompts on Tumblr](http://fizzygins.tumblr.com/post/141318279512/okay-so-i-have-been-having-an-awful-time-with) to help me shake out the writerly cobwebs. An anonymouse requested: "Prompt: poem: [I do not love you except because I love you](http://allpoetry.com/Sonnet-LXVI:-I-Do-Not-Love-You-Except-Because-I-Love-You) by Neruda / Sherlock (any type) OR marvel universe." 
> 
> It was a rough job, coming up with the most dysfunctional relationship in all of the Holmesian canons + Marvel, especially since I’ve been trying to avoid writing dysfunctional BBC John/Sherlock for these because I write enough of that already. Anyway, I hope I did okay.
> 
> No warnings on this one. My full warning policy is in my [profile](http://archiveofourown.org/users/greywash/profile#warnings); if you have any questions, please feel free to [email me](mailto:greywash@gmail.com).

Of course as a liberated twenty-teens kind of a guy, Tony can refer to Howard Stark’s crush on Captain America as a crush, and not find that in any way weird or shocking; he expects, in a subconscious, low-grade kind of a way, that Rogers _will_ find it weird and shocking, which is part of why Tony makes a point of referring to it that way pretty regularly, but also why it’s a little surprising the first time Tony happens upon Rogers with his hand tucked under Wilson’s shirt, casually caressing Wilson’s abs. 

They are great abs; even Tony noticed that. But still.

After that Tony’s paying attention, which means that he starts catching all this crap about Rogers he’d never noticed before, like how Rogers flirts, constantly, with basically anyone he’s comfortable enough to hang out with (a short and Avengers-heavy list), or how he may be helplessly awkward around strange women but he’s got his fuck-me body language for strange men down _cold_. Rogers goes to _clubs_. Rogers knows the _lingo_. Which kind of makes the legends of Howard Stark and Captain America, _bestest pals ever_ , that Tony grew up on take on a whole new tenor. And then, of course, once Tony starts to think about it, he starts to wonder about Jarvis—the original one—and Howard, and Vanko and Howard, and, God help him, _Obie_ and Howard, because Howard Stark was known for never having a shortage of good-looking women around him but when you get right down to it, he never exactly had a shortage of good-looking men around, either.

“So,” Tony asks, exactly once, “You and Howard?” and Rogers puts on this hilarious furrowed eyebrow gee-shucks-what-do-you-mean expression that was a lot more believable back before he and Wilson broke the couch in the Tower’s unofficial Avengers penthouse common room. “No, I’m serious,” Tony says. “The guy practically had a shrine to you, it’d be a lot less weird if you _were_ knockin’ boots.”

Rogers straightens up in his seat. “I had a lot of respect for Howard,” he says. He’s finally cottoned on that Tony’s not crazy about his perpetual find-replace on the word _Howard_ with the phrase _your dad_ , which is, so far, hands down Tony’s favorite development of 2016. “But,” Rogers says. “I actually didn’t spend that much time with him, you know.”

Translation: _I spent most of my time getting nasty with the Howling Commandos all over the woods and fields of Western Europe_. “Not an answer,” Tony observes, and Rogers rubs at his forehead.

“No, Tony,” Steve says, “we weren’t lovers,” and then sighs.

“Okay,” Tony says, “thanks,” and then Steve leaves while Tony’s fixing himself another whiskey and soda.

The infuriating thing is that it doesn’t actually explain anything. Maybe the thing that Howard Stark spent all his free time and energy trying to locate in the vast blank expanse of Arctic permafrost was his favorite science experiment and maybe it was his best friend and maybe it was his long-lost unrequited love and maybe it was just the hot steaming hunk of Falcon-nailing patriotic man-meat that Tony finds himself becoming sort of grudgingly fond of today. None of those choices would really be all that great of an answer, anyway.


End file.
